How To Get Monthly Income From Investment In India
Making a smart and planned investment schedule is of the utmost necessity for securing the financial future in a hassle-free manner. It helps to attain financial targets easily. Moreover, the money invested in variable schemes generate returns and secures the avenue for having a regular income flow.
Before settling for any particular investment option, it is very important to consider all the relevant pros and cons associated with it. There are a host of investment opportunities that are currently in circulation in the market which have been specifically crafted to fulfil certain particular types of financial requirements. While investing, it has to be made sure that the monthly necessities are accurately met with relevant monthly income flow along with wealth corpus enhancement to fulfil the long-term goals.
Investments with Monthly Income Benefits
- Mutual Funds with Monthly Income Plans (MIPs)
Here, the investment is principally done in debt instruments with slight exposure in equity. The accumulated interest is periodically distributed among the investors. When compared to equity investment schemes, the monthly income plans are supposed to be comparatively less risky and are ideal for the investors who are seeking monthly income flow and want a short-term fund accumulation.
Product | MIPs |
Offered By | Mutual Fund Houses |
Investment Type | Debt Oriented Hybrid Funds |
Who can Buy It? | Anyone |
Return | Market Linked |
Tenure | No limit |
Investment Limit | None |
Liquidity | Higher than most schemes |
Risk | Moderate to Low |
Investment Component | 70% – 80% in debt funds and the remaining in equity |
Suitable for | Conservative and risk-averse investors |
Tax Benefit | None |
- Post Office MIS
This is an ideal investment instrument for investors seeking fixed, regular monthly income flow supported by guaranteed returns. The rate of interest is declared by the Post office every year and is fixed for the entire duration of 5 years. There is a procedure of premature withdrawal in case the depositor expires. A maximum of INR 4.5 lakhs can be invested in a Post office Monthly Income Scheme or PO MIS for a tenure of 5 years at the mentioned guaranteed rate.
Product | PO MIS |
Offered By | Post offices |
Investment Type | Term Deposit with a guaranteed rate of interest |
Who can Buy It? | Anyone |
Return | 6.6% p.a. payable monthly |
Tenure | 5 years |
Investment Limit | INR 4.5 lakhs in a single account and INR 9 lakhs in a joint account |
Liquidity | Allowed after 1 year from date of deposit |
Risk | Low |
Investment Component | Debt Investment |
Suitable for | Conservative and risk-averse investors |
Tax Benefit | Interest is taxed in the hands of the depositor |
- Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY)
Specially designed for senior citizens, PMVVY offers a stable monthly income flow based on a rate of 7.4% p.a. The policy term is 10 years. The annuity is paid on monthly, quarterly, half-yearly or annually as the policy term ends, abiding by the choice of the payment mode selected by the investor.
A minimum amount of INR 1,56,658 needs to be paid to avail an annuity of INR 12,000 per annum.
Product | PMVVY |
Offered By | LIC of India, backed by the Government of India |
Investment Type | Insurance cum pension scheme for the senior citizen |
Who can Buy It? | Senior citizens aged 60 years and above |
Return | 7.40% p.a. payable monthly, quarterly or annually Annuity payable for 10 years + Maturity/Death Benefit is paid |
Tenure | 10 years |
Investment Limit | Pension of INR 1.11 lakhs annually |
Liquidity | Low |
Risk | Low |
Investment Component | Insurance + Annuity |
Suitable for | Conservative and risk-averse investors |
Tax Benefit | An annuity is taxed in the hands of the depositor |
- Post Office Senior Citizen Savings Scheme (SCSS)
Designed for senior citizens, this scheme can also be availed by the individuals of 55 years of age, provided they have applied for voluntary retirement or superannuation option. The current rate of interest in SCSS is 7.4%, payable at the end of each quarter. The minimum investment amount is INR 1,000 while the optimum limit is INR 15 lakh. Moreover, the investments under this scheme are eligible for tax deduction under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act.
Product | SCSS |
Offered By | Post office |
Investment Type | Term Deposit Scheme for the senior citizen of India |
Who can Buy It? | Senior citizens aged 60 years and above |
Return | 7.4% per annum |
Tenure | 5 years |
Investment Limit | INR 15 lakhs |
Liquidity | Allowed after 5 years lock-in period |
Risk | Low |
Investment Component | Insurance |
Suitable for | Any individual above 60 years of age Retired civilians between 55 and 60 years, subjected to the investment done within 1 month of receiving the post-retirement benefits Retired Defense employees above 50 years and below 60 years, subjected that the investment is done within 1 month of receiving the post-retirement benefits |
Tax Benefit | Qualifies for tax benefits under Section 80C of the ITA |
- Dividend-paying Stocks
This is a great investment tool for generating monthly income. However, before investing under this scheme, careful homework and background check is essential if the company has paid regular dividends in the past.
Product | Dividend-paying stocks |
Offered By | Both public and private companies |
Investment Type | A share of the company’s profit amongst its shareholders |
Who can Buy It? | Any investor with a potentially higher risk appetite |
Return | Dividend yield ranges up to 1x to 2x G-sec yields |
Tenure | None |
Investment Limit | TDS @10% are applicable if the income exceeds INR 5,000 in one financial year |
Liquidity | Fair |
Risk | Moderate |
Investment Component | Stock market |
Suitable for | Retirees and those who are nearing retirement |
Tax Benefit | Classified as “Income from other sources”, these are taxed as per the applicable tax rates applying TDS |
- NBFC Fixed Deposits
The FDs are offered by banks, NBFCs, post offices and companies. The FDs of the companies and NBFCs offer a higher rate of interest. The interests are generally provided by the companies either on a quarterly or half-yearly basis. Moreover, the rates get enhanced by up to 0.25%-0.50% for senior citizens. But, one thing must be kept in mind that there runs a slight risk of delay or default of payment. To cover this ground, the investor needs to ensure that the chosen company has secured a consistent AAA rating from ICRA or CRISIL.
Product | NBFC Fixed Deposit |
Offered By | Non-binding financial companies |
Investment Type | 40%-50% from banks and the remaining from debt capital markets |
Who can Buy It? | Anyone |
Return | Lower than the ceiling rate of 12.5%p.a. |
Tenure | 12 months – 10 years |
Investment Limit | None |
Liquidity | Applicable after the completion of the lock-in period |
Risk | ‘AAA'-marked instruments carry minimal risk |
Investment Component | Savings+stock |
Suitable for | All kinds of investors |
Tax Benefit | None |
- Corporate Deposits
There are innumerable non-banking financial institutions or NBFCs and Housing Finance Companies or HFCs that offer corporate deposits. These investments are like bank deposits but offer less security. The corporate deposits offer high rates of interest with added flexibility benefits compared to bank deposits. the financial strength and the credibility of the NBFC or HFC must be ascertained before choosing for investing.
Product | Corporate Deposits |
Offered By | Both financial and non-financial companies |
Investment Type | Term deposit with guaranteed returns |
Who can Buy It? | Anyone |
Return | Ranging between 5.5% and 8% approx. |
Tenure | 1 year to 5 years |
Investment Limit | Differs from company to company |
Liquidity | Possible after the lock-in period of 3 months |
Risk | Low |
Investment Component | Savings |
Suitable for | All |
Tax Benefit | If the annual interest income exceeds INR 5000, it is taxable under the highest tax bracket |
- Equity Share Dividend
This investment option allows long-term investment gains along with a monthly income facility. But the risk factor is significantly high in this respect. A considerably diverse portfolio involving several stocks is essential for facilitating a high dividend payout ratio.
Product | Equity share dividend |
Offered By | Both public and private sector companies |
Investment Type | Stock |
Who can Buy It? | Anyone |
Return | Dividend yield = Cash dividend/share÷Market price*100 |
Tenure | Differs from company to company |
Investment Limit | None |
Liquidity | Possible |
Risk | Moderate |
Investment Component | Equity shares |
Suitable for | Investors with a moderately high-risk appetite |
Tax Benefit | Interest deduction limits at 20% of the gross dividend income |
- Annuity
Most of the insurance companies in the country offer annuity schemes with low risk and regular income flow. This can be utilised as a retirement strategy. The deferred annuity plans provide money after a fixed term set by the investor has elapsed while immediate annuity offers immediate payout as soon as the lump-sum payment is done. However, there are several charges to be paid under this scheme.
Product | Annuity |
Offered By | Insurance companies |
Investment Type | Pension Plan |
Who can Buy It? | Deferred Annuity: Anyone Immediate Annuity: Usually more than 40-45 years of age who wish to start annuity immediately and can pay a lump sum amount of money as the purchase price |
Return | 4-6% p.a |
Tenure | Lifelong |
Investment Limit | None |
Liquidity | Option to commute 60% of the corpus for a deferred annuity plan and none for an immediate annuity |
Risk | Low |
Investment Component | Tax-deferred investment growth |
Suitable for | People who wish to get guaranteed earnings post-retirement |
Tax Benefit | Tax-deferred as the annuity is taxable in the hands of the annuitant. However, the premium paid towards annuity plans is tax-free u/s 80CCC upto INR 1.5 lakhs a year. Also, in deferred annuity plans, 1/3rd of the entire corpus can be withdrawn tax-free U/S 10(10)A. |
- Long-term Government Bond
This is another low-risk investment option with once or twice a year interest payout. It can collaborate with other investment options and interest earned throughout the year. The investor is free to sell these as and when they wish as these are traded in the secondary market. However, the lock-in period can range from 15 to 20 years.
Product | Long-term government bonds |
Offered By | Public sector organisations |
Investment Type | Securities |
Who can Buy It? | Anyone |
Return | 7.15% p.a. |
Tenure | 5-40 years |
Investment Limit | No specific limit |
Liquidity | Comes with a lock-in period of 5 years |
Risk | Low |
Investment Component | Low-risk investment with guaranteed returns |
Suitable for | Risk-averse investors |
Tax Benefit | Investment up to INR 20,000 is eligible for tax deduction under Section 80CCF above the INR 1 lakh deduction available under section 80C |
Importance of Monthly Income-generating Schemes
Before settling for any investment option, all the associated pros and cons must be carefully studied in respect of the financial targets, risk appetite and the overall asset value. The monthly income-generating schemes are ideal for senior citizen investors and those who have retired. This sort of scheme ascertains the regular monthly income flow fulfilling the short-term goals.
Earn Monthly Income from Your Investments
Although different individuals have different financial goals, needs and targets; securing monthly income flow is probably common for all. Therefore, after careful consideration of the relevant factors for wealth creation, financial security, and tax planning are essential in this respect to make the right choice and reap the optimum benefits.